Leslie Tucker Jenison: tutorial

Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts

Friday, October 27, 2017

Tutorial: Three-Dimensional Leaves Using Urban Garden Fabric Prints!

I'm so excited to share my second line of cotton fabrics, called "Urban Garden", a 24-print array from RJR Fabrics. This line is extremely personal to me as I have always been a gardener. I have so many memories attached to activities in the garden of my childhood and I consider my current garden a sanctuary and place of inspiration.
First, let me show you the various prints:

For my short "Schoolhouse" presentation at the 2017 Fall Quilt Market I opted to create a project that uses the charm pack (a stack of 5" squares with all the prints) for a project other than a quilt. I love to create dimensional leaves and I hope you will enjoy trying this! Once you become familiar with the basic technique, you can vary the shapes any way you want.

For each leave you will need two 5" squares, plus one 5" piece of batting. This is a great project for using up all those extra scraps of batting left over from a quilt project!

First, place the two prints, right sides facing together, and the batting on top.

If you wish, you can use a chalk pencil or other marker to denote the stitch line. You can see I drew

a dotted line next to my stitch line so it is easier to see in the photo above. I opted to go with a simple leaf shape that utilizes the majority of the area in the square. I left a 2-inch opening at one end in order to turn the piece right-sides out. When stitching it is very important to back stitch the opening on both sides as well as the point of the leaf.

Trim the excess fabric and batting to 1/8 inch from seam. Also: cross cut the leaf point to minimize bulk.

To turn, slide a finger in between the two pieces of fabric. Gently begin turning the construction right sides out. I use the tips of my scissors to gently push the tip of the leave out as much as possible.

Here is my stack of fabric with batting (low loft is best).

It is easier to visualize the seam line from the "batting side".

Here, I am using the scissor edge to gently form the seam edges of the leaf.

To add the leaf veins, I use monopoly thread in my bobbin, but this is optional.

I opted to change the thread colors for the veining. You can use the same color top thread and bobbin, if desired. Pull the bobbin thread up to the top during this process. Lower the feed dogs if

you plan to free-motion stitch the leaf veins. Or,

as an alternative, you may straight stitch. If you have dual-feed it is helpful but not necessary.

If you aren't comfortable handing the leaf in this manner, the straight stitch will work just fine!

No worries!

Here is one option for the leaf veining.

After sewing the edges of the felt base I attached a loop onto the back.

Working from the lowest part of the base I stitched each leaf into place on the sewing machine.

At the top I created a "bow" using a tube of sewn print. I think any number of things

could be pinned to the top of the felt to make it "seasonal" (fall berries, a ribbon, a stuffed toy,

a hedgehog, a bunny.....you get the idea).

Have fun with this idea and please let me know when you make something using Urban Garden!

I love to hear from readers so drop me a line, but mostly, thanks for stopping by.

xo leslie

"WOOF"! A pillow-making tutorial featuring Bizzi, my miniature Schnauzer (and studio assistant).

"Hi! My name is Bizzi..."

If you have visited me before, either here or on FB or Instagram, you know about my little studio assistant. She is my little shadow and follows me everywhere I go. In my studio, she is a constant presence, even signaling me when enough is enough and it is time to stretch and play! She has several ways of doing this: the most amusing one being to pull a piece of fabric off my shelf and stand in front of me until I notice it....then she runs away shaking it vigorously! We refer to this as her "Schnauzer sense of humor".

Since she is such a part of my studio life I opted to create my block for the RJR "Common Threads" quilt seen at Quilt Market 2016 using her likeness. This block is really fun to make and it is versatile.

I will be creating a quilted pillow, but I think this block would be really fun as part of a tote, a mini-quilt, a panel on a jacket, and more. Plus, Bizzi loves the PR this project gives her and it elevates her social media status....

Here is the finished quilt using each of the RJR designers' blocks.

Interesting how so many of us opted to include our pets!

Let's get started, shall we? First, go to the RJR site to download the block template. Feel free to draw your own version of this block. Trust me, it is easy to do!

Once you have the template you can choose the prints for each piece of the image. The fabrics must be pre-fused. I recommend fusing pieces of fabric prior to cutting the various shapes. Some of these pieces are small and it is much easier to handle the fusing, then fussy cut each shape. Ask me how I know...!

My choice of fusible is Mistyfuse. Why? Because it is so sheer that it does not change the hand of the cloth after the fusible is applied. This is important for useful items. Who wants a piece of cloth that becomes stiff as a board after fusing? Not me, that is for sure! When you use this product you will need either two Goddess Sheets (teflon pressing sheets) or two pieces of kitchen parchment paper: one to use under the project and one over the top to protect your iron and the ironing surface. Another VERY useful tool to have on hand is a cheap "scrubbie" (the cheap plastic ones used in the kitchen to clean pots and pans). I purchase a set of these rectangular scrubbies, sans sponge, and cut them into quarters for use in the studio. Once you have fused your fabric, allow a few seconds for the parchment or teflon sheet to cool off before peeling back the surface. After removing the fused fabric, quickly "scrub" the surface of both pressing sheets lightly to remove any hidden bits of the fusible that might have adhered to the surface. This prevents any stray bits from being accidentally fused on something else.

I keep one at the edge of my work area and it is a habit to lightly scrub each surface that has had contact with the fused project.

Remember: you are applying fusible to the WRONG side of the fabric!

For convenience I used a piece of notebook paper to cut a few of my pattern pieces,

just to keep the size in perspective. Feel free to trace and cut every piece, but you may

find that it isn't necessary once you have the main pieces figured out.

Here is a shape I used for the main part of her beard. I traced this onto the wrong (fused) size of the fabric, then cut. I later cut individual points at the lower part of her beard.

Here are here oversized eyebrows. I first cut the main shape, then clipped the smaller

details at the base of the brows.

I selected the dark print to contrast with her brows and beard.

Here is my template for the top of her head...

and here it is after cutting. I used the shredded print in charcoal to add another element on her face,

a sort of "handlebar mustache"!

I used the same dark charcoal from the "Box Springs" print for both top of head and the nose.

Paws: made from two oval shapes using charcoal Box Springs for the background,

and the gray Linear Gradation print for the front of the paw (as used in the beard and brows).

Again, I first cut the basic shapes and then clipped the hair detail.

I chose the dark teal "Box Springs" for the base of the window sill,

and the aqua "Vertical Garden" for the curtain shapes, and the Tiffany Box RJR Solid

for the background. (Ignore the seam in the center of the solid: I simply pieced it together because

I was running out!).

All these fabrics, once pre-fused, were cut to the shapes of the template.

Working over my parchment paper I placed everything before fusing.

I used the deep red Box Springs print for the background of my lettering and also the

tie-backs for my curtains....

The overlay of my letters was cut from the "Curry" colored linear gradation on white.

The main thing is to select prints that have a dark background and a contrasting lighter color

on the letters. I cut the lighter pieces slightly smaller and offset them for visual interest.

Note that I have another parchment sheet between my project and the iron! Important to do this

to prevent any tiny bits of fusible from adhering to the iron surface!

Once the pieces have all been fused, trim the block to 8 1/2 inches square.

For the sides I selected the "Moss" colored "Linear Gradation" print. I like that this green picks up on the small elements of green in the other prints. I cut two 8.5" by 5.5" pieces to piece to each side.

Next, I cut two 18.5 by 5.5" lengths of fabric. Piece one on top and bottom of image. Press.

Cut a 19.5" piece of low-loft batting and backing (the choice of backing doesn't matter as it will face inside the pillow. Pin fused/pieced project to the batting and backing. Quilt.

I chose a matchstick quilting method and light-medium gray thread as I didn't want to change thread colors at all. The gray works beautifully with all the colors in the prints, and basically disappears in the image....

Using my dual-feed attachment on my Bernina 770QE (or you may use a walking foot) I started in the center of my image and worked to each edge doing straight line quilting in rows approximately

1/8" apart.

I used a stitch length of 2.25 and stepped over 2 stitches between rows.

Once the entire surface was quilted I trimmed the piece to 18". Next, I cut two separate pieces of the deep red "Box Springs", 18" by 12".

I opted to stitch one of my selvedges to the section that will be outermost as I like the way it looks!

For the second piece of the pillow back I folded the right side of the fabric twice, pressed, then stitched. This section will lay under the selvedge edge.

I plan for the selvedge to remain exposed on the finished pillow so I am careful to place my two back sections so that the selvedge finish is placed in the proper orientation to the dog face. This is the piece that should be positioned, front side facing down, against the quilted surface FIRST, then overlap the second piece so that the finished edge is facing in toward the center. Note: these pieces have a significant overlap so there is no need for a closure.

Pin these in place around the edges. Stitch all the way around the perimeter allowing for the seam allowance. Back stitch two or three times at each corner as well as along the sides where the opening overlaps. These are areas that will have some stress applied to them when turning the project inside out, and also when stuffing the pillow insert, so the extra stitching prevents seam separation.

After stitching trim the corners diagonally to remove excess bulk.

Then, trim excess seam allowance about 1/8" from seam for approximately 1.5" from each direction of all 4 corners. This makes turning the project right-side-out much easier.

You may choose to push the corners with your finger or gently use the tip of a pair of scissors, just be careful not to poke all the way through!

Yay! I have a nice opening and I actually got the selvedge piece where I want it!

Now, at the ironing board, secure the seam edges by steam-pressing.

Lovely!

I didn't mention this earlier but before I started quilting I "fussy-cut" several elements from the prints

and fused them onto the borders to add a bit more interest. This is optional, of course, but I think it

adds a little something extra!

See the coneflower? I fused it in place before the quilting...

as well as a few other floral elements seen in the border pieces.

This pillow is nice and squishy!

I think this cute pillow is "Bizzi-approved"!

Please let me see your projects when you finish them. I can't wait to see what you make!

Drop me a comment. I love hearing from each of you! Thanks for stopping by.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Colorful Fabric Collage! Come play inside Sue Bleiweiss' new book!

When Sue Bleiweiss invited me to be a contributing artist in her new book I jumped at the opportunity to participate. First, I like and respect Sue as an artist and author. Second, I love to use fusible, and when I say fusible I am ONLY referring to Mistyfuse because it is the only kind I use! It works beautifully on a wide variety of quilt and mixed media projects. I love using Mistyfuse on both cloth and paper! I work with silk organza a great deal. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING will allow your sheers to look like they are supposed to: transparent and with a lovely non-stiff hand, like Mistyfuse.

For my project in the book, a small piece called "Labels", I opted to use silk organza, a wool-blend felt for the substrate, and a wide variety of clothing labels. I wanted to show how much fun it can be to work with silk organza (in this case, a piece of my hand-dyed) as the layering possibilities are endless. I discovered how cool it is to cut two different shapes from (as it turns out) two different die cutting systems and create an entirely new look.

"Labels"

First, I pressed the felt, organza, and the clothing labels so they were as crease-free as possible.

I applied Mistyfuse to the surface of the felt and the "wrong side" of the organza by placing a Goddess Sheet under and over the surfaces of each.

Note: This is one of the two places I use rechargeable electric scissors:

Cutting Mistyfuse off the roll is a breeze with these, especially when working with organza.

Organza tends to have a great deal of static electricity.

Once the felt piece was cool, I cut a second piece of Mistyfuse and overlaid it on the surface of the felt but did not fuse it. With certain items I have discovered that a second piece fused to the first will often assist in containing things that are errant and loose, such as these wonky clothing labels. The labels do NOT want to play nice, so the second layer of the Mistyfuse makes it mind better!

I took the organza and cut the Ricky Tims shape from my Accuquilt Go! cutter, the layered it onto the remaining uncut piece of organza. This double layer of fused organza was then cut with the dress shape on the Big Shot cutter. Magical!

Note: I prefer laying the organza over the cutter so that the fusible side is facing up but it isn't

necessary. The main thing to remember if you are cutting more than one fused layer is to "stack" your pieces so the fusible sides are always separated. They can get stuck together a bit and it will cause you a bit more work!

This die-cut piece is then overlaid onto the remaining piece of organza and fused.

The double-layered piece is then positioned over the dress die

and run through the Sizzix cutter.

Yay!

I carefully placed the labels in some sort of closely organized mosaic over the surface of the felt (remember I have a loose layer of Mistyfuse there). Once I have it the way I want it I fused it to the surface.

Then I placed the dress in position and fused it. One of the best parts about the organza is the layered transparency. I love being able to see the clothing labels through the dress. So much fun!